Toronto-based Mobile Mechatronics said it has built a Blackberry-style physical keyboard that attaches to an iPhone. The keyboard - called iTwinge - has a short kind of sleeve that you slide the phone into. It attaches to the phone’s battery port to draw power for the keyboard. It slides on and off and no special software is required to use it.

Ironically, this attachment was initially pioneered to help people make the switch from a physical keyboard to the touch-screen keyboard of the iPhone. The exercise was intended to train individuals on where the virtual keys are located and, consequently, "build muscle memory."

Incredibly, the exited response I received from my iPhone-loving friends was tremendous when I brought up the news about iTwinge. Sad but true, the majority were actually more pumped about this keyboard sleeve that anything Apple announced at their 9/09/09 media event.

The keyboard will sell for $30 with $5 shipping to the U.S. There are prototypes in beta test now, which have rubber keyboards. The final version will be made of hard plastic.

Unfortunately, we have to wait until November to get our hands on this thing. Although I'm reluctant to get on board any iPhone
hardware's bandwagon until I've actually experimented with it, it's understandable why so many ant-iPhone people may now make the jump to Apple just because of this particular development.